I went hands-on with HP’s new AI laptops at CES, this is what it’s good to know

HP’s is beginning 2026 at CES with a refreshed shopper PC lineup that leans closely into AI, and I had the possibility to go hands-on with all the things. Whereas the {hardware} modifications may appear iterative at first look, there’s much more occurring beneath the hood that would make HP’s portfolio value as these units come into market. This is what stood out after spending a while with HP’s newest {hardware}.

HP OmniBook Extremely 14: Mild, quick, and stylish

The star of the present is the brand new OmniBook Extremely 14, which HP claims is the world’s first shopper pocket book with an 85 TOPS NPU, which positions it squarely as a Copilot+ PC. The OmniBook Extremely 14 is out there with both Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X2 Elite processor or Intel’s next-gen CPUs, and each configurations ship as much as 85 TOPS of NPU efficiency. That is a really appreciable bump over the earlier era, and it means this 12 months’s mannequin can deal with on-device AI duties like real-time translation, superior picture modifying, and the assorted Home windows Studio Results significantly better than earlier than.

Throughout my time with the machine, the very first thing I seen was how mild but sturdy it felt within the hand relative to its measurement. HP did not have the earlier era on show for a direct comparability, however at 2.81 kilos, the OmniBook was across the similar weight as Apple’s MacBook Air and ASUS’ Zenbook S14 laptops, however these competing laptops are marginally lighter. The solid anodized aluminum chassis has a premium really feel to it and jogs my memory of the feel and appear of the iPhone 15 Professional’s cast titanium sides; HP says the OmniBook Extremely 14 has handed 20 MIL-STD sturdiness exams, together with having strengthened corners for added drop safety, which implies a lot higher drop safety.

By far my favorite facet of this new laptop computer is the 14-inch 3K OLED show, which shall be an identical throughout each processor variants, working at 2880 x 1800 decision with a 120Hz refresh price and 0.2ms response time. HP is touting 100% DCI-P3 shade protection and Delta E beneath one accuracy, which ought to attraction to creatives. In individual, the display screen regarded fairly sharp and vibrant, and had glorious brightness even with direct daylight.

One function HP is especially pleased with is posture detection, which makes use of the laptop computer’s digicam system to watch your sitting place and remind you to regulate should you’re slouching. It is a wellness-focused addition that feels very 2026, and whereas I am skeptical about how typically folks will truly heed the reminders, it is good to see producers considering past senseless AI-gen options for the sake of getting them.

Connectivity is strong throughout each variants. The Qualcomm mannequin will get three USB-C ports with 40Gbps signaling, whereas the Intel model upgrades these to full Thunderbolt 4 with DisplayPort 2.1 assist, which means you may push as much as 8K at 60Hz to an exterior monitor. Each configurations embody Wi-Fi 7, and the Intel mannequin provides Bluetooth 6.0 assist. The 70Wh battery ought to present all-day runtime, and HP features a 65W GaN charger that may get you to 50% in about 45 minutes.

The OmniBook Extremely 14 begins at $1,549.99 and shall be obtainable in spring.

HP OmniStudio X 27: A creative-focused all-in-one with a intelligent digicam trick

Credit score: HP

Alongside the laptop computer refresh, HP additionally unveiled the OmniStudio X 27 all-in-one desktop, which introduces what the corporate is asking Neo:LED show know-how. HP says this new show is the primary of its type in a shopper all-in-one. The panel covers 100% of each Adobe RGB and DCI-P3 shade areas, with Delta E beneath one accuracy out of the field. Throughout the briefing, the show regarded fairly spectacular, with colours that have been punchy with out feeling oversaturated, and with a 120Hz refresh price. I’m positive it’ll be of comparable efficiency to the OmniBook Extremely.

Credit score: HP

Underneath the hood, the OmniStudio X 27 runs Intel’s next-gen processors with as much as 45W of sustained efficiency, and you’ll optionally configure it with an Nvidia GeForce RTX 5050 GPU for extra demanding artistic workloads. Storage choices go as much as 2TB of PCIe Gen5 NVMe, and you’ll spec it with as much as 32GB of DDR5-5600 reminiscence.

Credit score: HP

The standout function, although, is HP Floor View, which is a digicam system that bodily tilts to point out your desk throughout video calls. If you happen to’ve used Apple’s Desk View on a MacBook or iMac, this is similar idea, however HP’s implementation is notably higher built-in. As an alternative of counting on an ultrawide digicam and software program cropping, the OmniStudio X allows you to articulate the digicam module downward to seize your workspace, and the picture high quality was significantly better than what I’ve seen on Apple’s aspect. For anybody who does quite a lot of video collaboration or wants to point out bodily paperwork throughout calls, this seems like a function that may be a helpful addition moderately than a gimmick.

The OmniStudio X 27 begins at $1,499.99 and shall be obtainable in spring.

HP’s broader OmniBook portfolio and model consolidation

Past the Extremely 14 and OmniStudio X 27, HP can be refreshing its broader OmniBook lineup with the OmniBook 3, 5, and seven collection. The OmniBook 3 16 is especially notable for its claimed 45-hour battery life, a determine HP says makes it the longest-lasting 16-inch OLED shopper AI PC available on the market. That quantity comes from HP’s steady video playback check at 200 nits, so real-world utilization shall be significantly much less, nevertheless it nonetheless suggests fairly nice effectivity from the Snapdragon X platform for the household pc.

HP additionally took the chance to clarify its latest model consolidation on the gaming aspect, merging OMEN and HyperX beneath a unified HyperX OMEN umbrella. The general sentiment on the briefing was that the transfer is designed to streamline the gaming portfolio and make it simpler for shoppers to navigate what has change into an more and more crowded product lineup. Having seen your complete portfolio of merchandise they’d on deck, I am inclined to agree; the corporate has quite a lot of overlapping merchandise throughout the 2 manufacturers, and this consolidation ought to assist make clear what every product is definitely for. Total, HP’s CES 2026 lineup seems like a assured step ahead for the corporate’s shopper PC enterprise. I’m wanting ahead to testing the brand new OmniBook Extremely 14 and the remainder of the lineup within the coming months.